ALMOST THERE

Here in Germany, a lot of the sights, sounds and smells have been reminding me of home. I'm actually quite excited at the minute about going home. Here's some snaps from Cologne.

THE THINGS I LEARNED IN RUSSIA

1. Not only is a mullet an acceptable hairstyle, it is considered cool.
2. Russians, both men and women, have the coolest eyes I’ve ever seen.
3. It is fine to have a kebab for breakfast.
4. It is fine to have a beer for breakfast.
5. A kebab and a beer make a well balanced, nutritious breakfast.
6. Drinking carbonated water for four days is really, really awful.
7. I am not tall and strong (as Japan led me to believe), but actually short and skinny (as Russia forced me to believe).
8. Moscow's Metro has the fastest moving/most dangerous escalators in the world.
9. Moscow has better sunsets than Mongolia.
10. Russia is very, very Russian.

MOSCOW

Gorky Park.
Don't know what this is, but it looked very Russian.
The Simpsons. They're taking over the world.

THANKS POLAND

When I arrived in Warsaw yesterday I was yet again amazed that no-one working at the train station, even the information booth, could speak English. I had no intention of stopping there, I simply wanted to buy a ticket and be on my way to Germany. But things were not working out and the once-daily train looked like it was going to leave without me.
Just when I was despairing I heard those magic words 'Can we help you?' Honey to my ears it was. Being bounced back and forth between the ticket office and 'information' the precious minutes were ticking away. But two Polish backpackers, Michal and his girlfriend, came to my rescue and after talking a lot of Polish gibberish to various people, we finally secured a seat on the overnight train to Cologne by giving the conductor 350 Poland moneys (??).
So a big thanks to the Polish students. I hope you also got your train home. And if you're ever in Ireland, I'd love to return the favour.

PUNCTUALITY

From Japan to China, through Mongolia and Russia, the first late train I have been on was a European one. The 18:23 from Warsaw to Cologne left on time, but arrived an hour late. Tut tut.

MOSCOW STATION

I arrived alone, clueless and Russianless. I found my way to a ticket counter. Of course she couldn’t speak any English, but I was prepared. I showed her my note in Russian that said 'I need to go to Germany. This train goes to Germany, but I could only buy a ticket to Poland. Can I please exchange my ticket? Can I please stay on the train all the way to German?. Please', or something like that.
She read the note and left her cubicle. She came back shaking her head ‘Neitze!’
‘Really?' I asked, 'But, but, but I HAVE to get to Germany’ (puppy dog eyes). She left again and came back with her supervisor. She could speak a little English and understood my problem. Unfortunately I couldn’t understand a word she said. But soon everyone around us was laughing at our terrible communication attempts.
Nothing was resolved and my ticket wasn't changed, but I felt better after a good laugh. Deciding 'I'll sort it out in Poland', I went off to buy ice-cream and Guinness instead.

RUSSIA

St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow.
Tired and scruffy after my long train journey.
Curious kids on the Trans-Siberian come to stare at the strange foreigner.
The sun rising as I staggered out of the Metro.

IN MOSCOW

Hey everyone. Made it too Moscow in piece. I retract my earlier negative blog entry, I was tired and grumpy. On the train the antibiotics kicked in and I got plenty of rest. Despite my fears I really really enjoyed the journey and was sorry to get off the train this morning (but they made me). For the last two days I had two amazing people from Kazakhstan sharing my compartment. They're generosity and humour made the trip very enjoyable. And the language barrier made for very funny 'pictionary' and body-language conversations.
I now have three days in Moscow. Then I will catch a train through Belarus to Poland, where I can hopefully get a connection to Germany.
Will write more later.

AN ADVENTURE IS ONLY AN ADVENTURE

IF YOU'RE UP FOR. IF YOU'RE NOT, IT'S JUST A PAIN IN THE ARSE!

I'm in Irkutsk, Russia. It's expensive and hard to organise. I have a bad chest infection and 'antibiotics' that do nothing except keep me sober. Tomorrow I get on an 87 hour train to Moscow (yes, 87 hours). Following that I have to catch a train to Warsaw, Poland because I couldn't get a train to Germany where I need to connect for my Eurostar line to London. And my Belarus transit visa is only for 2 days meaning I can't even chill for a couple of days to get better.
And to think that I chose to do this when my BOE where going to give me a nice pretty plane ticket home. Am I mad.
Will write again from Moscow.

MONGOLIA II

A Mongolian main road.
A Mongolian usual road.
A Mongolian sunrise.
A Mongolian bath.

MONGOLIA

IN MONGOLIA

Arrived in Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia yesterday.
In 30 mins I depart for a five day hiking/horse-riding tour into the wilderness.
Should be good.
China was cool, but I'm knackered from the partying and pollution.
Will post more photos and some journal entries when I get back on monday.

TRANS-MONGOLIAN RAILWAY

BEIJING

XIAN, CHINA